Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

No one could have predicted…

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Update 51: President Zelenskyy Delineates His Terms

War for Ukraine Update 51: President Zelenskyy Delineates His Terms

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Tonight is the first night of Passover and it is also Good Friday, so I’m going to keep this as short as possible.

This morning The Atlantic published a long, detailed interview with President Zelenskyy conducted by Jeffrey Goldberg and Anne Applebaum. In the interview President Zelenskyy clearly stated his terms for ending the reinvasion of Ukraine:

If the Russians are not expelled from Ukraine’s eastern provinces, Zelensky said, “they can return to the center of Ukraine and even to Kyiv. It is possible. Now is not yet the time of victory.”

This clear statement of what has to happen – that the Russians must be expelled from the eastern portions of Ukraine that they have been occupying since 2014 – is important as people are still asking what does success look like for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s reinvasion. Zelenskyy is clear: the Russians have to go from all of Ukraine.

What this means in reality is that there is not going to be a negotiated settlement to Russia’s reinvasion of Ukraine because there cannot be. Ukraine is seeking a victory on the battlefield that establishes the conditions for a successful post conflict peace. Which means inflicting enough pain on the Russians to force them out of the areas of Ukraine that they’ve been occupying for eight years.

What President Zelenskyy needs from us are the ways and means to achieve that victory.

Much of Zelensky’s time is spent on the telephone, on Zoom, on Skype, answering the questions of presidents and prime ministers—often the same questions, repeated to a maddening degree. “I like new questions,” he said. “It’s not interesting to answer the questions you already heard.” He is frustrated, for instance, by repeated requests for his wish list of weapons systems. “When some leaders ask me what weapons I need, I need a moment to calm myself, because I already told them the week before. It’s Groundhog Day. I feel like Bill Murray.”

He says he has no choice but to keep trying. “I come and say that I need this particular weapon. You have it and here it is; we know where it is stored. Can you give it to us? We can even fly our own cargo planes and pick it up; we can even send three planes per day. We need armored vehicles, for example. And not one per day. We need 200 to 300 per day. These aren’t personal taxis, just for me; our soldiers need transport. Flights are available, the whole thing can be organized, we can do all the logistics.”

Later that night, one of Zelensky’s advisers texted us with a list of what, exactly, Ukraine needs to repel the invasion from the east:

Artillery, 155 millimeters

Artillery shells, 152 millimeters as many as possible

Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (“Grad”, “Smerch”, “Tornado” or M142 HIMARS)

Armored vehicles (armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, others)

Tanks (T-72 tanks or similar tanks from the USA or Germany)

Air defense systems (S-300, “BUK” or western equivalents)

Military aircraft—MUST HAVE—to deblock our cities and save millions of Ukrainians as well as millions of Europeans)

It’s not that the various presidents and prime ministers who profess sympathy for the Ukrainian cause don’t want to help, Zelensky said: “They are not against us. They just live in a different situation. As long as they have not lost their parents and children, they do not feel the way we feel.” He makes the comparison to the conversations he has with the extraordinary defenders of Mariupol, the besieged port city where 21,000 civilians may have been killed so far. “For example, they say, ‘We need help; we have four hours.’ And even in Kyiv we don’t understand what four hours are. In Washington for sure they can’t understand. However, we are grateful to the U.S., because the planes with weapons are still coming.”

Much, much more at the link.

And more after the jump!

Here’s the latest British MOD assessment:


And here’s the latest map update from the British MOD too:

As you can see, still not a lot of movement.

Here’s Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense’s operational update for today:

The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00 on April 15, 2022

The fifty-first day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues. A russian federation continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine.

During the today in all directions the situation has not changed significantly. A russian enemy continues to launch missile strikes on industrial and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and is trying to launch an offensive in some areas. Air strikes on the city of Mariupol continue.

The partial blockade of Kharkiv continues.

In the Donetsk direction, the russian enemy tried to storm Marinka, but was unsuccessful.

In violation of the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the russian occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories continue to oppress the rights of Ukrainian citizens. Violating the rules of warfare, sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy, to carry out sabotage on the territory of Ukraine, steal or, threatening physical violence, take away motor vehicles and civilian clothes from local residents.

In order to suppress Ukrainian resistance, the russian occupiers are filtering and searching for people involved in military service.

In the areas of Luhansk oblast temporarily occupied by the russian enemy, the usage of buildings and adjacent territories of secondary schools for the installation of additional field hospitals, places for weapons, ammunition and military equipment is recorded.

In some settlements, the russian enemy is trying to imitate elections and illegally appoint “local governments” from among local residents loyal to the occupying power.

Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to maintain certain defensive lines, inflict losses on the enemy and gradually liberate settlements from the troops of russian invaders.

We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Let’s win together!

Glory to Ukraine!

Just a quick note of explanation: The transcripts of the senior US defense official’s background briefings I’m posting several times a week are the official transcripts prepared by the Department of Defense and posted on their website. Which is where I find them and I include the link, just like the link I included above to the Ukrainian MOD’s website. Any verbal ticks or “uhuhs” or “ums” or “okays” are there because the people preparing the transcript are trying for 100% fidelity to what the senior defense official is saying. They’re not put in there by the news media because I’m getting them directly from the source. Same thing with the transcript of President Biden I posted yesterday. I pulled it directly from the White House website and linked back to it there.

If you’re wondering what Russian state media is pushing to the Russian citizenry, here’s an example:

That’s enough of that ugly disinformation and agitprop for one day!

This is a very, very long – 31 tweets – thread on Alexei Navalny’s Twitter feed about how to combat Putin’s Information Warfare campaign. I’m not copying and pasting the whole thing, you can click through and read it. Also, just so everyone is clear as there was some confusion in comments the other night: Navalny is not tweeting from prison. Either the people that manage his account are tweeting in his name or they have been brought what he wants tweeted from whichever of his attorneys or representatives is allowed to visit him in prison and then they tweet that out.

Your semi-daily Chef Jose Andres:

Let’s leave it there.

A good Good Friday to everyone who celebrates that. A happy Passover to those celebrating that (I have a ton of cooking and baking tomorrow for the family Seder tomorrow night), and a continued easy fast for those celebrating Ramadan.

Open thread!

 

Reader Interactions

48Comments

  2. 2.

    Medicine Man

    Have a kosher and joyous Passover, Adam.

    I had to look up the proper well-wishing, because “have a Happy Passover” didn’t seem quite right.

  3. 3.

    Kattails

    Wait…Kyiv sunk the Moskva?  I thought it had suffered an unexplained, accidental, unexpected fire/explosional type mishap but everything’s just fine and was being towed to safety.  How do these lying sacks of shit survive the sheer whiplash of their about-faces?

    That quilt is awesome. Everyone have a lovely Easter, Passover, easy fast for Ramadan, spring rebirth and renewal.  And most of all to Ukraine.

  5. 5.

    Lyrebird

    Thank you Adam.

    @Kattails:  Everyone have a lovely Easter, Passover, easy fast for Ramadan, spring rebirth and renewal. And most of all to Ukraine.

    To you as well!  Whatever ones you observe!

    For anyone still looking for a thought-provoking haggadah for their seder, give the HIAS one a look which talks about modern day refugees.

    ETA: We’re saying extra prayers for the Azov defenders along with the Warsaw Ghetto rememberance in a fave haggadah.

     

    edited again: I don’t think my tots ‘n pears have such a huge effect, but right now I don’t see much else I personally can do.  Besides, my former colleague from Ukraine asked me to keep the prayers coming, so I will.

  6. 6.

    Tehanu

    Have a lovely Passover seder, Adam, and give yourself a break from all this horror. I must say again how much I appreciate your efforts to gather all this info for us.

  7. 7.

    Mike in NC

    Time to tell Vovo that we don’t give a shit about his empty threats. I recall sailing past Kronstadt in the Baltic in 2014 where most of their crappy ships were rusting at their moorings.

  10. 10.

    Priest

    Comment made last night about Moskva surpassing the General Belgrano as largest combat vessel sinking since WWII. Reminded me I only learned in last few years that the Belgrano was originally the USS Phoenix, which survived Pearl Harbor. So was a year or so older than the Moskva, both in service over 40 years since being launched.

  11. 11.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Kattails: The Russians have admitted the Moskva’s  loss was due to a fire possibly caused by a firework from a Gender Reveal Party the crew was having at the time.

  13. 13.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    You got the love how the Russian reaction to the Moskva sinking is “bomb more civilians”, never “let’s get our shit together”.

  14. 14.

    Mike in DC

    Still not clear on what options “go on the table” if, God forbid, Russia uses a nuke in Ukraine.

  15. 15.

    Chetan Murthy

    @JAFD: Ms. Bell gives a careful and thoughtful eulogy for the Moskva dead, not forgetting nor minimizing in any way the many dead and dying, injured, raped, kidnapped, orphaned, and otherwise bereft, of Ukraine.  When I read it the first time it was posted, I thought it was a good eulogy.  I still think so.

  16. 16.

    prostratedragon

    Blessed season to each, even if the season is TGIF. This triple occurence is rare, no? Musical offerings on broadcast have involved St. Matthew Passion and, from NYPhil, Elijah. Another calming performance is Galata Whirling Dervishes Mekder Sufi Ensemble doing the Sema ritual. Among other things this is a dramatization of a grieving process, which fits the season.

  20. 20.

    wombat probability cloud

    Adam, I’m very grateful for your tenacity and dedication to reporting on events Ukraine. May we all come through this narrow space together, mostly intact. Hope your Seder is rejuvenating and relaxing.

  21. 21.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Have a blessed Passover/Easter/Ramadan everyone, or a good weekend if you are not an adherent to one of the Abrahamic religions!

    On a side note, does Zelensky include Crimea when he says “eastern provinces”?

  24. 24.

    Andrya

    Thanks for these updates, Adam, and a blessed Passover to you and yours.  You have been the main source of Ukraine information for my extended family and social network (none of whom, I regret to say, read Balloon Juice, but you can’t have everything).

    However, your post tonight set my hair on fire.  Russian TV is saying (falsely, obviously) that Jen Psaki said that President Biden would not react to the use of nukes in Ukraine?????  That comes across to me as preparing the Russian population for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.  Please, please, tell me that I am overreacting!

  26. 26.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Adam L Silverman: I want to tread carefully here. However, and speaking under correction, is it not the case that at this point the population of Crimea is largely ethnically Russian?

    Because it seems to me that after the rest of Ukraine is liberated, Crimea is going to be the most difficult knot to untangle. Potentially uglier than the rest of the war before it.

  27. 27.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Carlo Graziani: It’s possible that the population of Crimea would at all events wish to remain with Russia.  But we’ve seen ostensibly pro-Russian areas of eastern Ukraine have been staunchly resistant to RU forces.  Also, I’ve read that the experience of people living under Russian rule in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, has been pure misery: rule by gangs of thieves, bandits, and mobsters.

    For sure, it would take time and effort to eliminate such criminality, but one could easily imagine that the populations would welcome returning to Ukraine, even in areas where they’d initially thought that rejoining Russia was a good idea.

    Last thought: I wonder if the RU army has been at-gunpoint conscripting men in Crimea, as they’ve apparently been doing in Donetsk/Luhansk (from what we read).  Boy I bet that really improves morale in the subject population.

  28. 28.

    Another Scott

    @Carlo Graziani: Crimea is Ukrainian land legally.  Ukraine gave Russia a lease for the naval bases, etc., long ago.  Countries of good will can have arrangements like that.  There is no good will with Putin in power.

    At the rate Russia’s military is degrading, VVP may not have much say on Crimea in a few months.

    I’m no expert, but war has a way of upending previous power arrangements.  We won’t know Crimea’s future for a while yet, IMHO.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  29. 29.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Another Scott: To take the liberty of interpreting @Carlo Graziani: ‘s comment, maybe he’s asking: “if Crimea’s citizens/residents are as staunchly pro-Russian as Ukraine’s citizens/residents are pro-Ukrainian, it might not be so wise for Ukraine to reassert sovereignty over Crimea: it could be messy and bloody and unpleasant (putting it lightly) for all involved, esp. right after a brutal war.”  And that doesn’t include that Russia might want a say in the matter, even after losing its war.  And guerilla operations are different from wars of invasion.

  30. 30.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Andrya: You’re quite welcome. To answer your question, the problem right now is that the people on Russian state controlled media are far more extreme and bellicose than Putin is right now. Which means the Russian citizenry that is watching this stuff is getting a steady information diet of extremism, Russian ethno-chauvinism, and pro-genocide agitprop.

  31. 31.

    Jay

    @Chetan Murthy:

    since 2014, a huge junk of the DPR and LPR, until recently, stayed alive by commuting from the occupied zones, into Ukraine, to pick up their pension cheques, cash them out, get medical services, buy basics like tp, food, meds, and then return to the occupied zones in the hopes that LPR/DPR/RU gangsters don’t steal it before they get back home.

  32. 32.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Jay: I read about that: the pension checks esp.  Made me wonder why UA was continuing to pay those pensions.  Now it all makes more sense: if they had the intel that the residents didn’t really like the state of affairs, continuing to pay those pensions was …. a cheap investment in goodwill.

  33. 33.

    Jay

    @Chetan Murthy:

    I would guess that they are, in polls, etc.

    Russia has engaged in ethnic cleansing in Crimea,

    I would guess that amongst “Crimean’s”, the RU is no longer popular, but you might fall out of a 5th floor window for saying that.

  34. 34.

    Jay

    @Chetan Murthy:

    since Independence, and lost opportunities, pensions in the East, since early post Soviet times, have kept the economy alive, along with coal and steel.

    Western Ukraine gradually transitioned to a “modern” economy and in quality of life, quickly blew past eastern Ukraine.

    this of course, pre-Maiden and post-Maiden had significant impact on divisions along with outside manipulation.

  35. 35.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Chetan Murthy:

    That’s not a bad summary, but I would sharpen it a bit more, and focus more on Russia.

    So far, Russia has made war on Ukraine, coldly and bloodily and mercilessly, but in some sense “strategically” as it understands its own interests. And also within recognizable bounds–we have not seen use of battlefield nukes or combat use of nerve toxins. I believe (on no evidence other than plausibility) that the reason is not restraint, but rather that these are likely among the thresholds for direct NATO intervention that were communicated to the Russians at the outset of the war. The point being that the Russians aren’t totally off the chain.

    I worry that the psychological state of defending actual Russians under threat by subhuman monsters in “Russian” territory subjected to invasion (the inevitable narrative) will become deranged. I mean a lot more deranged than we think it is now. I think we ought to imagine a situation analogous to.Kosovo, if Serbia had had nuclear weapons.

    I do understand and acknowledge the legalities. It might still be a wiser, more statesmanlike move to concede Crimea. It sucks. The alternative probably outsucks it.

  36. 36.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Chetan Murthy:

    That’s not a bad summary, but I would sharpen it a bit more, and focus more on Russia.

    So far, Russia has made war on Ukraine, coldly and bloodily and mercilessly, but in some sense “strategically” as it understands its own interests. And also within recognizable bounds–we have not seen use of battlefield nukes or combat use of nerve toxins. I believe (on no evidence other than plausibility) that the reason is not restraint, but rather that these are likely among the thresholds for direct NATO intervention that were communicated to the Russians at the outset of the war. The point being that the Russians aren’t totally off the chain.

    I worry that the psychological state of defending actual Russians under threat by subhuman monsters in “Russian” territory subjected to invasion (the inevitable narrative) will become deranged. I mean a lot more deranged than we think it is now. I think we ought to imagine a situation analogous to.Kosovo, if Serbia had had nuclear weapons.

    I do understand and acknowledge the legalities. It might still be a wiser, more statesmanlike move to concede Crimea. It sucks. The alternative probably outsucks it.

  37. 37.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Chetan Murthy:

    That’s not a bad summary, but I would sharpen it a bit more, and focus more on Russia.

    So far, Russia has made war on Ukraine, coldly and bloodily and mercilessly, but in some sense “strategically” as it understands its own interests. And also within recognizable bounds–we have not seen use of battlefield nukes or combat use of nerve toxins. I believe (on no evidence other than plausibility) that the reason is not restraint, but rather that these are likely among the thresholds for direct NATO intervention that were communicated to the Russians at the outset of the war. The point being that the Russians aren’t totally off the chain.

    I worry that the psychological state due to defending actual Russians under threat by subhuman monsters in “Russian” territory subjected to the invasionn of Crimea (the inevitable narrative) will become deranged. I mean a lot more deranged than we think it is now. I think we ought to imagine a situation analogous to.Kosovo, if Serbia had had nuclear weapons.

    I do understand and acknowledge the legalities. It might still be a wiser, more statesmanlike move to concede Crimea. It sucks. The alternative probably outsucks it.

  38. 38.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Carlo Graziani:

    I worry that the psychological state due to defending actual Russians under threat by subhuman monsters in “Russian” territory subjected to the invasionn of Crimea (the inevitable narrative) will become deranged.

    [….]

    I do understand and acknowledge the legalities. It might still be a wiser, more statesmanlike move to concede Crimea. It sucks. The alternative probably outsucks it.

    Armchair analysis here.  It seems to me that all along, UA’s (and Zelenskiyy’s) priority has been people — saving their people.  If they really believed that Crimeans wanted to be part of UA, I think they’d insist on liberating Crimea.  If they really  believed that Crimeans wanted out, to be with RU, they’d let them.  And I don’t think that Russia’s feelings about the matter really have much weight.  And that as time passes, and Russia commits more war crimes, this feeling — that what matters is protecting their people from Russia’s depredations — seems be growing in UA.

  39. 39.

    Feathers

    @Chetan Murthy: My favorite naval war film is BATTLE IF THE RIVER PLATE/PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE, about a group of captured British sailors who are “guests” on a Nazi battleship until it reaches neutral territory. The tension as they cheer on the British vessels who encounter the ship, even though it means their death is amazing. I’ve if those fascinating looks at a corner of WWII that doesn’t generally make the history books. And it’s a British film set in the South Atlantic & Uruguay, so almost no Americans involved.

    Happy Easter, Passover, Ramadan to all who celebrate. And a great day to everyone else.

  40. 40.

    sab

    @Carlo Graziani: Haven’t the russian from russia troops been pretty brutal  to the locals who happen to be russian speaking? Those folks expected some leniency and got none. That might change opinions.

  41. 41.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Carlo Graziani:

     

    I do understand and acknowledge the legalities. It might still be a wiser, more statesmanlike move to concede Crimea. It sucks. The alternative probably outsucks it.

    Not a military person but it looks, on paper, like it would be much more difficult to retake Crimea than the rest of occupied Ukrainian territory and, if successful, Ukraine might be gaining a cuckoo in the nest if the people there are Russian friendly.
    Despite this I don’t think that, in the long-term, it’s a good idea to reward Russian aggression by letting them keep any part of Ukrainian territory.

    In an ideal world, the answer might be to re-conquer Crimea and then have an internationally supervised referendum to see which country the residents want to be part of.

    Happy Holidays and an an easy fast to everyone celebrating/partaking and have a day off Adam unless something significant happens.

  42. 42.

    terry chay

    First, I wouldn’t be too concerned about whatever propaganda is coming out of Russian media. It’s going to be far more extreme than whatever Putin does because he needs to build that to shift the Russian Overton window on whatever he actually does. In the end, it helps to see him as the criminal he is, just in control of a country with the most nuclear weapons on earth. As a criminal, he’s not going to do anything that is going to wipe himself out and nuclear and biological will as even a convention response from NATO ends Russia. I seem to remember in 2008, there was some U.S. involvement in humanitarian stuff in Georgia and Russia immediately backed down and settled with 2 “breakaway” regions. Whenever there was a conflict in Syria between Russia and US special forces, the Russians got anhillated. Heck, Turkey easily shot down a Russian jet there and really embarrassed Russia in the proxy war in Azerbaijan/Armenia last year. Putin may be getting some really bad intel and may want to leave some fucked up legacy, but he’s not going to do something that stupid.

    Putin is a man who steals Super bowl rings from Robert Kraft. He is a turd who does what he thinks he can get away with and, it turns out, he’s been able to get away with so much he thought he could take over a country the size of Texas with of 40 million white Europeans in it, and somehow have a fait accompli acceptance of all that.

    As long as any territory (including Crimea) is held by Russia, then that is an avenue for reinvasion. From Ukraine’s perspective (even though Zelensky and his predecessor are from opposing political parties) they are unified on that fact as obvious. They plan on fighting for years, if the West is willing to support them to do so (all signs point to yes on that). There is no point in stopping because any end of the war is an end of sanctions at some level and the eventual reconstituting of Russia’s military and re-invasion of Ukraine with the lessons learned. Game theory this one out and you see the only negotiated peace for Ukraine is through victory and restoring their lands.

    As mentioned by others, the attitude of Crimea toward Russia has changed rapidly in the 8 years of control. There is a Vice piece on it from a couple years ago (remarkably prescient on stating Putin plans on invading Ukraine from there soon) that tracks the descent into hopelessness of a Crimean who was pro-Russian in 2014. During that period, given the amount of militarization , the potemkinization of Russian oligarch “aid” to the region, the complete lack of tourism, and the fact that they were months away from complete loss of their water supply, I think it’s a mistake to assume because these people speak Russian they’re happy with the situation. Remember, corrupt and as poor as Ukraine was, these are not Russians, they are people who lived and experienced democracy for 20 years and had that taken away in the last 8. As our elections show, there is a difference between wishing for something you have never seen before based on empty promises and the hard reality of getting exactly what you “voted” for. Such was the “vote” in 2014 in Crimea.

    Another way of looking at it, is the U.S. spent tons of money in earnest to try to build up Afghanistan militarily, socially, economically and politically 20 years and that shit came crashing down like a house of cards. Yes, there was some corruption, but Russia didn’t do shit in Crimea that wasn’t about positioning their military for the reinvasion. If anything, one wonders how they’ll be able to defend a peninsula. Research the early months of the Korean War for instance and you find such features are really hard/impossible to defend.

    One thing to consider is that a lot of what Ukraine did before the war was predicated on either stopping the war or what the fog of what would happen in it. For example, not calling up their reserves or evacuating their populace seems to have been based on wargaming how a panicked citizenry would hinder/cripple their defensive efforts. Similarly, the situation in the East being a WW1 style trench warfare for years was likely in order to not entice Russia to re-invade using retaking that area as a pretext (while it looks like using it as a training ground to test NATO tactics and training for a large number of their forces). Now the war is restarted and the fog has been lifted.

    Basically for peace to happen, both parties have to be cool with it and Ukraine will not be cool (or feel they can exist given the genocidal rhetoric coming out of Russia) if Russia holds any of their land, no matter how long it takes. (I seem to remember the ROK and DPRK are still technically at war, just ceasefire, and it’s been almost 70 years.)

    Right now, Ukraine will be focused on surviving and attriting as many Russians as get sent to have whatever pyrrhic thing Russia estimates they need to achieve to tell themselves they are assume by May 3 no different then the slaughters that proceeded a Czar’s name day in the 1800’s. But it helps to view Zelensky’s statements (and the US designed and led sanctions) as being on the order of years.

    Expect to see “War in Ukraine. Update 652” on this top 1000 blog someday.

  43. 43.

    wetzel

    @Kattails: How do these lying sacks of shit survive the sheer whiplash of their about-faces?

    The unimportance of truth is the public truth they are complying with in Russia. The whiplash is the point.

    I’m trying to find some way to explain how it looks to me, at the intersection of the social system and the individual system in Russia, the individual consciousness is folding into totalitarian unconsciousness. Genocide has reconstituted the terror state in Russia.

    They are all hiding behind their eyes. There is no way they can accommodate the inhumanity of what they know to be true. They know a purge is coming. It’s incredible and tragic to watch it unfold. You see monsters on Russian TV. They are all puppets under terror all the way to the top now, hoping it will pass them over.

  44. 44.

    Geminid

    There is an interesting article in FedScoop.com about the recently announced $800 million military assistance package. Included are an unspecified number number of “unmanned coastal defense vessels.” They sound like submersibles. Reporters were very intent on getting Pentagon spokesman John Kirby to say whether the vessels are armed, but Kirby demurred:

        “I’m not gonna promise you a fact sheet [but] I can promise you the damn thing works.”

    I think FedScoop.com is a defense industry newsletter.

  45. 45.

    debbie

    Audio should be available in a couple of hours, but Bill Browder’s got a new book, Freezing Order, about his good friend, Putin. The interview was something I wish the Biden administration would listen to.

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